Category Archives for Politics

Steve Bannon, a senior strategist in President Trump’s administration has lost his seat on the National Security Council, falling victim to the ongoing high-profile shakeup. However, his removal may have been a long time coming, seeing as his very elevation to a permanent spot on the council was widely criticized as a blatant attempt to infiltrate politics into the often-perceived impartial and professional body. Many pundits argued that he was not fit for a position in the sensitive defense, intelligence and foreign policy matters.

Who is Bannon

Bannon is a former head of the right-wing website Breitbart and currently holds the position of chief White House strategist. He is seen as one of the controversial forces of the nationalistic and anti-globalism agenda, the very agenda that was used to propel president Trump to power. Now, his miseries may not be over even after his removal from the US Security Council as his very White House appointment has stirred debate across the political divide. Pundits argue that having played a pivotal role in the Republican agenda of anti-globalism, his appointment into these professional organs may bring about unwarranted interests, hence defeating the very purpose for which the organs stand for –that of fostering global security and public relations.

Bannon’s Removal

The first reports of his removal from the council came with the conspicuous absence of his name on the regular attendees list as per a presidential memo dated 4th April. Reporting outside the White House, Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett observed that Bannon’s removal from the list was a welcome relief, seeing as his appointment was made at the expense of the removal of two key roles namely; the joint chiefs and the director of national intelligence.

How Bannon got on the Security Council

According to a senior White House official, Bannon found his way on the council immediately after the inauguration of the president and his placement in there was purely meant to advance the president’s vision, among which included efforts to streamline the council operations. Perhaps more interestingly is the fact that the official remarks that contrary to popular perception, the appointment of Bannon to the council did not have any direct bearing on the woes of the first national security adviser of president Trump, Michael Flynn, who was at the helm during his appointment. It can be remembered that Flynn would later be asked to resign on account of misleading the administration with regards to the alleged involvement of Russia in the November elections and the entire administration of president Trump. It is hardly 4 months since Trump assumed power and the way things are shaping up, it is unclear how the face of his administration and crucial organs will look like when he is done making the adjustments.